Walking Tours in italy
Cilento National Park
Italy just has so much variety that we could not help noticing an important new area to the southeast of the Amalfi region. The "Citento E Vallo Di Diano " is a new Italian national park having been established in 1991. The park boasts some of the few remaining wolves in Europe and there are 1800 species of plants including a few that are endemic to the area. The real joy of the trip is the tranquility that you will find, roaming between the little medieval villages, the forests and limestone hills, linked in the valleys by ancient stone bridges.
Cilento is an undiscovered Italian wilderness where you can really enjoy the sensation of having the whole place to yourself. Our man on the spot, Peter, has pioneered a truly exciting route. From the tiny village of Felitto, we descend into a gorge full of ancient caves and ruined watermills. Beneath the towering rocks is a famous medieval bridge, one of the best preserved in the area, at the very scenic entrance of the canyon. Next day we take a bus to Laurino and follow the canyon below the village to arrive at a small medieval bridge which leads to the little church of Sant'Elena. An optional visit brings us to the cave of St. Michael with a statue of the Archangel. From here its an easy trail down to the village of Valle dell' Angelo, the 'Valley of the Angel', where we stay in the town center. It is then a short walk to the tranquil little village of Piaggine from where our next walk descends into a valley, adorned with maquis, olive groves and orchards to reach the small town of Sacco and its cathedral. We continue up to Roscigno Vecchio. Next day from Roscigno we climb up Monte Pruno, a beautiful viewpoint over the whole area along an ancient muletrack. We then walk to Sant'Angelo a Fasanella, one of the most interesting little towns in the area. Then we come to one of the most picturesque sites of the National Park, the Risorgenza dell'Auso, where the river Auso comes to the surface, after having run underground for several kilometers. A short transfer brings us to the high plain of the Alburni mountains, a wild calcareous mountain chain with many caves, huge beech forests and stark rocks. An area where wolves still wander and with a large variety of bird life. We walk along easy muletracks to one of the most impressive viewpoints of the area: 'Il Figliolo' overlooking the plain of Salerno, and the sea and the mountain plains. This is a moderately easy tour and most of the walks are on good paths, but sometimes overgrown sections can't be avoided !
Through the extensive footpath network of the area a wealth of natural and cultural treasures can be reached relatively easy. At the beginning or the end of the tour there is also an opportunity to visit Paestum or Pompeii, or spend some time on the beach. The tour ends in Salerno, from where the Amalfi tour starts, so they can easily be combined. Also the city of Naples or the isle of Capri can be visited as an extension of the tour.
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